Gabrielle Union and Chris Rock star in the comedy “Top Five,” which tells the story of New York City comedian-turned-film star Andre Allen, whose unexpected encounter with a journalist forces him to confront the comedy career — and the past — that he's left behind.

Raunchy in extremis, often funny and at times touching, “Top Five” is Chris Rock’s sincere attempt to craft a film career largely detached from his stand-up clowning.

Sending up his own old calling, he plays Andre, a celebrity comedian who made fame and fortune with a series of “Hammy the Bear” movies, lumbering in a full body bear suit. When he walks the streets of New York, the greeting is never “Hi, Andre”; it’s always “Hey, Hammy!”

He hopes to move on by specializing in protest-themed serious drama. After all, he’s a lot less silly after four years of sobriety, he’s about to marry reality TV star Erica (Gabrielle Union) and he’s just released “Uprize!,” a movie in which he stars as a leader of a Haitian slave rebellion.

Unfortunately, his new film looks like an absurd parody of “12 Years a Slave,” sinking his career while the new Tyler Perry film draws block-long lines. His fiancé only kisses him on camera to boost her ratings. He’s feeling very thirsty for something stronger than water lately.

Approached by Chelsea (Rosario Dawson), a newspaper journalist preparing a profile piece, he shares memories of his early career while leading her through the demanding routine of his present life. He recalls the pompous comedy producer (Cedric the Entertainer, roaring at maximum speed) who packed his hotel room with a couple of sensual “angels” who proved to be less than cherubic. They visit sharp-tempered relatives and old friends at the Brooklyn housing project where he grew up, with lively bits from Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan.

There’s one bit of potentially good news in Andre’s life. Chelsea’s questions are so sharp and clever that he begins to fall for her, right as his televised wedding to Erica approaches. It’s a situation that is either a life saver or a torpedo.

The film is a jumble, bouncing from scene to scene with sharp cameos from DMX, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Rock’s frequent co-star Adam Sandler and others who don’t really advance the plot. The only consistent theme is Rock’s natural likability, which helps him humanize his character.

As director, writer and star he still works more like an earnest beginner than a pro. Even after a decade in feature films, acting isn’t his strong suit. The expressive Dawson and Union outpace him by miles; even J.B. Smoove as his one-note bodyguard is more believable in character than Rock.

Yet as performer and filmmaker he’s clever, enjoyable company in almost every passage, with one awkward exception. The gritty laugh sequences featuring Chelsea’s white boyfriend come perilously close to extreme stereotypes of gay men. They feel simultaneously funny and unfair. For a moment it’s as if Rock set out to make a clever movie that suddenly burped up a tacky Sandler movie outtake.